Asbury Park Renaissance

My first encounter with Asbury Park was in high school. Meu melhor amigo e eu dirigidown the shore to Deal beach because we felt it was much cleaner than Seaside Heights. We decided to drive down the “strip” in Asbury Park to check it out. We had heard that AP was not the safest place; but we were not ready for the decay, filth, as casas noturnas em ruínas, e tapadas casas. Eu estimaria que isso aconteceu em torno 1994/95 (and now you know how old I am). Nineteen years later, Asbury Park has become gay vacation mecca, paraíso de um investidor imobiliário, and a lovely place to spend a week not just in Summer, but also in the early fall. I put together the following travel tips for Asbury Park, NJ over my last few trips. If you have more, definitely add them to the comments.

Asbury Dicas Travel Park

Asbury Park Dicas de Viagem Para conhecer Stompin Grounds de Bruce

Asbury Park has a pretty interesting history. Erathe destination for the middle & upper middle class in the 20th Century, mas depois dos distúrbios raciais dos anos 70, the city became seriously depressed. The economy tumbled, and people stopped vacationing in the city. Homes were boarded up, the boardwalk and its landmarks went into disrepair, e as pessoas se esqueceram da cidade, a menos que estivesse ouvindo uma canção de Bruce Springsteen.

mural no verde de uma mulher feita de flores em Asbury Park casino

What is particularly nice about Asbury Park in its renaissance is that it is accepting of everyone. Unlike say, Hamptons onde principalmente todos que férias lá é branco e afluente, Asbury Park has quite a varied population (local and transient). While it is a gay & lesbian mecca, you will find families with strollers, couples with their dogs at the dog beach, older retirees, and immigrant workers. The city is varied in a beautiful way.

A central de aquecimento de idade em Asbury Park

There are definitely still signs of decay, and Asbury Park has a long way to go. The old Asbury Park Casino is still in disrepair. O carrossel lindo está vazio, com janelas quebradas e falta cavalos coloridos e criaturas do mar para trazer sorrisos aos rostos das crianças. Mas Asbury Park está a caminho para um renascimento completo. For example, the convention hall has been completely renovated (a few details like the copper ships can use a little love, but the items that need repair are very minor). Ao longo do calçadão, there are a decent amount of restaurants for you to choose from (none of them “good” but all “good enough”). Along Cookman Ave, you will find the better restaurants, bars and some great shops featuring local designers, artists, and artisans. People are buying up gorgeous homes (at amazing prices) and restoring them to their original splendor.

Rosto Asbury Park Carousel Janela

The beach in Asbury Park was surprisingly clean, spotless actually. I still would not go in the water, not just because there are some pretty crazy riptides, but also because it’s Jersey…and you never know whose dead body may wash up, mas se você estiver olhando para pegar alguns raios, jogar um pouco de voleibol de praia, or just enjoy the view, I think Asbury Park will definitely do the trick. Isto é especialmente edificante desde o Jersey Shore foi apenas atingido por furacão Sandy, and it is great to see that Asbury Park was not greatly affected.

COISAS não perder em Asbury Park

entrada Asbury Park Convention Center por Warren e Wetmore

Asbury Park Convention Hall

It was originally supposed to be designed by one of my all-time favorite architectural firms: McKim, Mead, e branco. A questão era que James A. Bradley (the city founder) owned the land and he refused to sell it. When he died, foi comprado por Arthur Steinbach que demoliu o prédio que existia lá e construiu o Berkeley-Carteret Hotel. Asbury Park was feeling the pressure to compete with NYC’s newly built Madison Square Garden (by McKim, Mead, and White), e com Convention Hall de Atlantic City. By luck (or arsen), o Berkeley-Carteret incendiada eo Major Hetrick teve sua chance. He hired Warren and Wetmore (designers of Grand Central) to design the Convention Hall. It extended over the beach and water and had gorgeous views. It even had heating. The building was somewhere between French and Italian and peppered with charming nautical designs). Things you can do at the Convention Hall:

Shopping – there are some tiny, super cute shops in the convention center.

Shows & Sports – I got to watch a super cool roller derby match. They also host concerts, comedians, and more

Eat – There are various restaurants at the Convention hall, so stop by in the afternoon, enjoy a cocktail and relax while you people watch.

Connected to the Convention Hall by way of a public arcade is the Paramount theater.

Fora do Park Convention Center Asbury

Asbury Park Casino

These are still in the form of spirits from another era and I only wish for them to be brought back to life quickly (efforts seem to be going on). These were designed by Beaux-Arts architects Whitney Warren & Charles Wetmore. This is the loveliest spot on the boardwalk. Se você já viu o filme o pugilista, then you have an idea of what this building looks like. Thecasino is completely open right now. As one walks through, one can see the original plaster details. Currently, there’s a wall with a painting of a flapper style Cecelia (octopus mermaid type). She hides the restoration work that is going on in the former skating rink. O Cecelia seria em casa em Williamsburg.

O carrossel Asbury Park é uma bela peça de arquitectura

Asbury Park Carousel

O espaço que abrigava acarouselé agora vazio e algumas das janelas são quebradas. (If you’re interested, o carrossel é a Family Kingdom Park, em Myrtle Beach, the original horses are gone, but there are replicas in their place). The building is marked by gorgeous copper window frames that now have a verdigris patina. Nos cantos são projetos web de aranha e imagens de Pegasus. The focal point of the windows is a gorgon trapped in a whirlwind. The windows are simply spectacular.

No caso de você não sabe, I am a Jersey Girl. Although I was born in Colombia, I consider myself 100% Jersey (and you’d believe it too if you ever saw my childhood pictures, there was always a can of aquanet in my purse). Needless to say, The Stone Pony is an important place to me. This is where Bruce and Jon got their starts. It was a beer hall that at one point started allowing live music to be played. It went out of business and re-opened as a biker bar. Em 74, tornou-se o Stone Pony. Fechou-se um pouco, mas foi reaberto em 1992. Catch a show while you are in Asbury Park, você nunca sabe se você está vendo a história sendo feita.

I am a doggy guardian. Eu sempre favorecem um lugar que me permite relaxar com minha quatro patas companion. Unlike snobby Cubacan (who was completely empty and had a huge outdoor area and declined to seat me – when every other restaurant on the boardwalk let us in with our dog), Wonder Bar sabe que cão pessoas gostam de gastar dinheiro e que vai se tornar fiel a quem atender aos caprichos de nosso cãozinho. They set up a pool for your friends to cool off in the summer and even have hours for little pups only. This place is a total win!

Famoso Fortune Teller em Asbury Park NJ

Obtenha seu Fortune Leia a Senhora Marie

Madam Marie is no longer there (she passed away in 2008), but what the heck. Madam Marie was the one who told Springsteen he would be famous. He also read the fortune of the likes of Woody Allen, Judy Garland, Ray Charles, Perry Como, Diane Keaton, and Elton John.

Fees: Yes, there are fees to get on the beach. You can get a day pass for $5 on weekdays or $6 on weekends. Kids 12 and younger must be accompanied by adults, but their entry is free. If you are spending some time there, grab a season pass at $70 for adults or $20 for ages 13-17. Idosos pagar apenas $5 (if you ask me, they should be free).

Doggy Beach: During the “season” dogs can have fun at the 8th avenue beach only.

A Ponte do pé Sunset Lake é um belo local em Asbury Park

Sunset Lake Park & Bridge

Talk about a gorgeous park. Se você estiver em aves, go there. There are different types of herons, ducks, you name it. You may run into a homeless person or two, mas eles provavelmente não me importo que você está lá.

Bus: NJ Transit has bus service from Philadelphia, Freehold, Long Branch, Red Bank, and Point Pleasant. I suggest you skip the bus & just take the train or drive.

Onde ficar em Asbury Park

Berkeley Hotel em Asbury Park NJ

Berkeley Hotel: It is a fine hotel. Rooms are modern, comfortable and clean. O hotel é para cães, and it has a pool. Ask ahead of time if there are parties going on. O isolamento acústico não é a melhor, so if you have loud drunk people on your floor, sleep will be an issue.

Airbnb: My first choice. $100 for a gorgeous 2 bedroom apartment that comes with bikes and amazing hosts. The apartment has a kitchen, so we saved money by making breakfast daily. Seriously, skip the hotels. Este Airbnb é para cães demasiado. Look for Laine, you will not regret it.

The Empress Hotel: If you want to party like a rock star, this is your spot. My rock star days are over…so have a couple of shots in my honor while I sleep tight at Laine’s place.

Onde comer em Asbury Park

Mc Loone de um bar e restaurante com música ao vivo no Asbury Park NJ

Sorry AP, but you have a crappy dining scene. I know you are trying, e eu sei que ele está ficando melhor, mas eu não encontrei nada que eu realmente me apaixonei por. Esperar todo o material no calçadão estar bem, edible, but of all the places I tried, nada foi realmente notável. These are a few that we enjoyed (updated 2017):

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About Me

My name is Blanca and I run a few startups called FriendsEAT and Socialdraft. I travel alot. I have lived in 10+ countries and visited over 30+. Currently I live in Lisboa, Portugal. You can follow my thoughts and experiences on this blog. Hope to hear from you.